OK so I really want the DT770 pro 80ohms, but the overpowered bass is putting me off for competitive reasons (I'm maybe 50% fun, 50% competitive and I will use them with some un-amplified sources like iPhone). Obviously I'd like an all rounder more like the 990 32ohms but my budget is £130 at absolute max. It seems like the ideal situation for me is DT770s with an EQ to close the bass and open the mid when needed?

OK so I really want the DT770 pro 80ohms, but the overpowered bass is putting me off for competitive reasons (I'm maybe 50% fun, 50% competitive and I will use them with some un-amplified sources like iPhone). Obviously I'd like an all rounder more like the 990 32ohms but my budget is £130 at absolute max. It seems like the ideal situation for me is DT770s with an EQ to close the bass and open the mid when needed?

Could anyone possibly suggest an alternative or should I go for it?

Well have you heard the headphone yet? YMMV always applies, and in the case of a little too much bass, a gaming EQ reduction for competitive can help a bunch. Bass EQ isn't perfect – you lose a bit of information despite calming boominess – but for gaming competitive, you don't really need much detail in the bass. IMO.
How would you apply an EQ? Would you be gaming on console or PC? I got no recommendations for iPad gaming

Quote:

Originally Posted by AccioHeadphone

2 Questions:

1) Top 5 BA IEM's arond $400 price mark

2) How effective are EQ's? For example, the Panasonic SHE 3580 is said to rival the Ety ER4P by user Joe Bloggs. Could you essentially do the same thing with a lush/colored headphone e.g. Miles Davis Tribute or something really bass heavy like Sennheiser IE8?

Not quite sure what BA stands for, but generally I'd be suprised that an IEM would be a go-to item for gaming. Comfort and soundstage would be my biggest reasons to be skeptical of an IEM being a choice over other headphone types...
That said, I have Etymotic ER-6i IEMs, and I don't think they would hurt gaming. Just my ears after two hours, despite a good fit. I've never used them while gaming, but I have listened to binaural/holographic sound recordings, and imaging is very precise due in no small part to the articulate detail retrieval. But that short soundstage keeps surround processing from sounding realistic. You could eventually get used to and understand positioning cues, but it just will never be as good as an open headphone.

And EQ is no miracle-worker, small adjustments work out the best because you hit walls of distortion and lack of detail information.

I have not heard of Joe Bloggs or the Panasonic SHE... That IEM may be good, or it may be a "flavor of the month," as the Ety ER4P is very good at a very specific presentation, and the sound signature of the Panny may be "better" only in that it's "better suited" to his taste. YMMV.

But if you get used to IEM gaming, I am certain that if you ever hear a well-considered headphone gaming setup in the future, you will be amazed at what you had been missing.Edited by Evshrug - 9/3/12 at 2:05pm

IEM for gaming with Dolby headphone? I'll pass. The RE0 was a decent exception, but it still doesn't replace a full sized headphone.

As for the DT770 Pro 80. It's a waste to even consider it without an amp. You're just gonna get sloppy bass and harsh treble. I don't understand why people insist on getting headphones that need amping if they're not gonna utilize them to their fullest. A better alternative is the Creative Aurvana Live, as it doesn't need amping at all. Better to have a headphone that suits your purposes, than a BETTER headphone not driven properly. Case in point: DT990/32 with a portable amp, than the DT990/600 with the same. The 32ohm sounds better, than a weakly driven 600ohm. The common misconception is that the 600ohm will sound better regardless. It doesn't.

The DT770 Pro 80 is easy to drive as far as Beyers go, but they STILL deserve an amp.

As for EQ, it can only do so much. FWIR and experienced, the best kind of EQ is reductive EQ, like lowering bass or treble. EQ should be mostly subtle, and not like trying to turn a balanced can into a bass monster, or a smooth treble'd can into a detail king. For example: dialing down the DT990's treble would be better than pumping up the DT880's bass to meet the 990's.Edited by Mad Lust Envy - 9/3/12 at 3:06pm

Well have you heard the headphone yet? YMMV always applies, and in the case of a little too much bass, a gaming EQ reduction for competitive can help a bunch. Bass EQ isn't perfect – you lose a bit of information despite calming boominess – but for gaming competitive, you don't really need much detail in the bass. IMO.
How would you apply an EQ? Would you be gaming on console or PC? I got no recommendations for iPad gaming

No I've not heard it (no where I can really try it) but given the positional audio potential it sounds like a winner. At the moment I do have an AV receiver hooked up to my TV via toslink and PC via HDMI with some EQ presets which should drive DT770s OK. That said...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mad Lust Envy

As for the DT770 Pro 80. It's a waste to even consider it without an amp. You're just gonna get sloppy bass and harsh treble. I don't understand why people insist on getting headphones that need amping if they're not gonna utilize them to their fullest. A better alternative is the Creative Aurvana Live, as it doesn't need amping at all. Better to have a headphone that suits your purposes, than a BETTER headphone not driven properly. Case in point: DT990/32 with a portable amp, than the DT990/600 with the same. The 32ohm sounds better, than a weakly driven 600ohm. The common misconception is that the 600ohm will sound better regardless. It doesn't.
The DT770 Pro 80 is easy to drive as far as Beyers go, but they STILL deserve an amp.
As for EQ, it can only do so much. IFWIR and experienced, the best kind of EQ is reductive EQ, like lowering bass or treble. EQ should be mostly subtle, and not like trying to turn a balanced can into a bass monster, or a smooth treble'd can into a detail king. For example: dialing down the DT990's treble would be better than pumping up the DT880's bass to meet the 990's.

... I would be looking at getting a Dolby Headphone amp and drop a little bass through it. Does this sound sensible? If so could you rec an amp?

The CALs look nice but I currently use SR60is and I think this would be a downgrade. Also I don't like the 'sweaty pads' really. I sweat like a beast .

The SR60s wdon't make great gaming cans, as I hear their soundstage is miniscule. The CAL is basically a Denon D1001 under another brand. They're constantly overlooked because it's Creative. Don't count them out. They're really good at the $100 price point, and they can be found for well under that at times. As for the pads, I can agree with you there. I don't like pleather, but the M50s and CALs are the only two I don't mind pleather. The CAL's pleather is really soft and don't have a lot of contact area.

As for amps for the DT70 pro 80, any decent portable amp like the E11 would do them great justice. NOT the E5 or E6.

You all better appreciate this. I spent HOURS obsessing over this update.

Quote:

Last update: 9/4/2012

-Added Beyerdynamic Headzone to the virtual surround device list

-Added an Index for easy searching

-Updated the first post, categorizing the headphones by price tiers:

D: $0-$50
C: $50-$150
B: $150-$300
A: $300+

As well as alphabetical order (company name) for each tier.

-Links for each item, directly on the item name.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric_C

Hm, I'm not sure. My only experience would be with the HD 25-1; in that case I can't say for sure whether velour sounded better than pleather.
All I know is that pleather made me sweat in my weather so it was better to swap it for velour.

Considering I live in Florida, and winter only lasts like 2 weeks it seems, I understand. Pleather just isn't good down here.

edit: So I just spent an hour or so A/B/C-ing the DACs between the NFB-5, Fiio E17, and Fiio D3 ($21!), all feeding the E17's internal amp.

I'm not going to lie to you all. To me, the 3 DACs sounded 99% the same. Sadly, I can't do this test with the NFB-5's amp, but oh well.

If you have an optical or digital coaxial out on your source, I'd say to buy the Fiio D3 as a DAC just so you can see how ridiculous DAC performance is overrated. All it shows me is that money is better spent on an amp than a DAC, IMHO. You'll gain a bigger boost and change in sound with an amp than a DAC, IMHO. I do feel the DAC in the D3 was better than the E7's DAC, however. For $21, it's an incredibly cheap way to have a clean sounding DAC. It just isn't for those with a need for USB DAC.Edited by Mad Lust Envy - 9/4/12 at 3:13am

I do this out of personal enjoyment. I'm glad it helps others out. I am by no means a pro or anything, and I can't see this guide being much bigger than it is (I'm not exactly rich, lol), but it's a place where we can all discuss such things. I'm a bit close minded, in that I can't recommend anything to anyone looking to play games in basic stereo (it almost all sounds the same to me in stereo positioning-wise, which is to say, not impressive), so the guide isn't very universally friendly. Lol. That and recommending headsets in less than multi-hundred dollar budgets, which is what a LOT of people ask me about in private messages. I'd love to help everyone, but sadly, it's impossible.Edited by Mad Lust Envy - 9/4/12 at 3:42am